The short version
- The six sellers were picked in 2023 as the riskiest.
- Three orders never arrived. Those sellers asked for 450 euros to 1,200 dollars in fees.
- Three arrived as powder in vials. The lab's purity readings were 7.7%, 8.97% and 14.37%, against an advertised 99%.
- Each vial held 29% to 39% more semaglutide than its label said.
- One vial had a raised endotoxin reading. The lab found no living bacteria in any of them.
Is it safe to buy semaglutide online with no prescription?
One lab test of semaglutide bought online with no prescription found scams, low purity and a raised endotoxin reading. Its authors conclude: "These illicit vendors pose serious risks to consumer safety". [1][2]
Ten researchers ran it, with support from the Hungarian Scientific Research Fund. In July 2023 they searched Google and Bing for semaglutide, the drug in Ozempic. They bought from six sellers.
The six were picked on purpose. They showed up most in the searches, asked for no prescription and charged the least. The paper calls itself "an exploratory study that assessed the highest-risk vendors". It gives no rate for the rest of the market.
What was in the semaglutide vials that arrived?
The three semaglutide vials that arrived held the drug on the label. Their measured purity was a small fraction of the advertised figure. Each held more of the drug than its label said. [1][2]
| What the lab checked | What it found |
|---|---|
| Purity, against a claim of "at least 99%" | 7.7%, 8.97% and 14.37% |
| Semaglutide against the label | 29% to 39% over |
| Packaging checks passed, of 22 | 8, 8 and 9. A genuine pen passed all 22 |
- Purity, against a claim of "at least 99%"
- 7.7%, 8.97% and 14.37%
- Semaglutide against the label
- 29% to 39% over
- Packaging checks passed, of 22
- 8, 8 and 9. A genuine pen passed all 22
By the weights in the paper's table, the purity figure is the share of the powder that was semaglutide. The lab found no other peptide in it. The authors suspect small impurities, and call it "plausible" that these point to "the omission or incomplete execution of purification steps".
On the extra drug, the JAMA letter says "users could receive up to 39% more semaglutide per injection". The full report says the amounts "raise concerns about possible incorrect dosing or overdose of semaglutide".
The letter also says: "US poison centers have reported a 1500% increase in calls related to semaglutide". It gives no dates for the rise. The figure is about semaglutide in general.
After the packaging check, the paper's results class all three as "substandard, falsified, and counterfeit medical products". The lab's table lists one vial of each.
What happened to the three semaglutide orders that never arrived?
The three semaglutide orders that never arrived were scams. After the purchases came fake tracking numbers, and then the sellers asked for more money. [1][2]
All three were orders for Ozempic pens. The tracking pages showed the parcels held at customs.
| The extra payment asked for | The reason the seller gave |
|---|---|
| 1,200 dollars | "insurance fee" |
| 450 euros | "x-ray custom stamps" |
| 650 dollars | "insurance and prescription stamps" |
- 1,200 dollars
- "insurance fee"
- 450 euros
- "x-ray custom stamps"
- 650 dollars
- "insurance and prescription stamps"
The sellers said the money would be refunded on delivery. The JAMA letter says the demands were "confirmed as fraudulent by customs agencies".
One fee was for prescription stamps. These sellers had advertised that no prescription was needed.
Is endotoxin in a semaglutide vial dangerous?
The paper measured endotoxin in the semaglutide vials and does not say what those amounts do to a person. It names no safety limit for the readings it prints. [1][2]
The paper calls endotoxin "residuals and remnants from the cell walls of Gram-negative bacteria". One vial read 8.95 units per milligram. The other two are printed as under 2.1645 and under 2.8658.
The JAMA letter sums it up: "one sample had elevated presence of endotoxin (8.95 EU/mg) indicating possible contamination, although no viable microorganisms were detected".
The paper's summary goes further and says "endotoxin was detected in all samples". Its authors add that "the exact source of the endotoxin cannot be determined".
Is semaglutide labeled "research use only" sold for human use?
The FDA says semaglutide falsely labeled for research has "been sold directly to consumers for human use with dosing instructions". One parcel in the study came with what the paper calls "a complete injection kit". [2][3]
The paper describes the vial sellers' "product labels indicating 'research use only.'" The label on the parcel with the kit carried neither purity information nor warnings. A different seller's terms said its products were "not for human or animal use".
The FDA says it "has warned companies that have illegally sold unapproved drugs" that were "falsely labeled 'for research purposes' or 'not for human consumption.'" The same passage ends: "The agency urges consumers not to purchase these products which are of unknown quality and may be harmful to their health."
How many websites sell semaglutide with no prescription?
The study's search led to 59 illegal online pharmacy websites. It says many of them sold semaglutide with no prescription. The top 30 domains tied to such pharmacies drew an estimated 4.7 million visits from July to September 2023. [2]
The top five took more than half of those visits. Of the 59 sites, 19 gave no address or contact details.
The FDA says it "has issued warning letters to stop the distribution of illegally marketed semaglutide and tirzepatide". The paper notes that two of the six websites it bought from later received one. [2][3]
What nobody has shown
- How often an online order goes wrong. The six sellers were picked for risk.
- What these powders do inside a body. The study measured vials and followed no buyers.
- What the rest of the powder was. The lab ruled out other peptides and named no substance.
- Whether it looks the same today. The purchases were made in 2023.
The other side
Six sellers is a small sample, and the full report says so. The JAMA letter adds that "higher priced offerings were excluded". Most of the pharmacy links in the search were legal: 183 of 317.
Each of the three vials held semaglutide, the drug on its label. The lab found no living bacteria in any of them.
The authors say courier delivery may have harmed the powder, which "also reflects the real-world conditions consumers experience". Two of the ten authors work for a research company, and one of them co-owns it.
What would change this
- A larger test, with sellers picked at random.
- The same test run again on the sellers that rank highest today.
- A regulator's own lab results for what these sites send.
Three questions to ask next
Last checked: 10 October 2026.
- [1] Safety and Risk Assessment of No-Prescription Online Semaglutide Purchases (opens in new tab). Ashraf AR, Mackey TK, Schmidt J, and others. JAMA Network Open, 2 August 2024Back to text (first mention of source 1)
- [2] Multifactor Quality and Safety Analysis of Semaglutide Products Sold by Online Sellers Without a Prescription (opens in new tab). Ashraf AR, Mackey TK, Vida RG, and others. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 7 November 2024; 26:e65440Back to text (first mention of source 2)
- [3] US Food and Drug Administration, "FDA's Concerns with Unapproved GLP-1 Drugs Used for Weight Loss" (opens in new tab). Read on 10 October 2026Back to text (first mention of source 3)